Cologne – Specialty chemicals company LANXESS will be represented twice at Achema, which will take place in Frankfurt am Main from June 11 to 15, 2018. The company will showcase its innovative technology and proven products at the leading international exhibition for the process industry. As part of the special exhibition “Process INDUSTRY 4.0: The Age of Modular Production”, an initiative by Namur, Dechema/ProcessNet and the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI – Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie), an award-winning pilot facility for the resource-efficient manufacturing of leather chemicals will be presented. A model of the plant can be seen at the joint booth D41 in hall 9.2 as an example of the technical implementation of ideas in relation to modular automation.

By contrast, the Diphyl product range, tried and tested and in use in chemical processes worldwide for almost a century, will be presented at Achema at booth D100a in hall 5.1 by LANXESS Distribution GmbH. The synthetic heat transfer media ensure the secure operation of heat transfer systems.

Resource-efficient manufacturing of leather chemicals

Under the title of “Resource-efficient manufacturing of leather chemicals” (ReeL), the Leather business unit at LANXESS collaborated with the research institute INVITE from Leverkusen to develop a modular pilot facility for the production of retanning agents under the brand name “X-Biomer” from leather offcuts, trimmings and shavings, up until now generally a waste product for disposal, and plant-based biomass. The innovative, modular plant can be operated on-site in tanneries.

Practical testing has been taking place since the middle of 2017 at the project partner HELLER-LEDER GmbH & Co. KG in Hehlen, Lower Saxony, Germany. The project is receiving funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of its “r+Impuls – Innovative Technologien für Ressourceneffizienz – Impulse für industrielle Ressourceneffizienz” (r+Impulse – innovative technologies for resource efficiency – impetus for industrial resource efficiency) initiative.

LANXESS received the German Innovation Prize for Climate and Environment 2017 in the category “Environmentally friendly products and services” for this innovative technology for the recycling of residues in leather production.

Diphyl heat transfer fluid now with extended service

LANXESS Distribution GmbH, sales and distribution partner of the LANXESS Group for chemical intermediate products and specialties, presents itself to the process industry with its organic heat transfer fluids from the proven Diphyl brand. They offer unique thermostability and durability and can be used in a broad temperature range:

Diphyl     + 13 °C to + 400 °C
Diphyl KT - 45 °C to + 350 °C
Diphyl THT   0 °C to + 345 °C
Diphyl DT - 30 °C to + 330 °C

Dwell time in systems is over ten years on average for Diphyl due to its high thermal stability. As each organic heat transfer medium ages due to the high temperature load caused by gradual decomposition reactions, both the selection and maintenance of the heat transfer medium must be precisely tailored to the respective process and design of the plant. To provide support for the use of these technically challenging fluids, LANXESS offers comprehensive pre- and after-sales product service. This includes consultation during the plant planning phase, detailed product specifications, a program to determine key plant parameters, and analyses of heat transfer fluids used.

In the future, the data will be linked together in a predictive maintenance approach by the customer, in order to avoid critical plant conditions and to prevent damage such as corrosion, residue, decomposition of thermofluids on various plant components, such as on heaters, pumps, pipelines, condensers, or heat exchangers. The paradigm shift away from a “reactive” approach towards predictive maintenance will ensure that availability, costs, and proper functioning are optimally aligned.